


They Call it Reconnecting

by ProfoundlyInLove



Series: They Call it Reconnecting Verse [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alive Winchester Family, Combining Families, Established Relationship, Family Feels, Family Reunions, Healthy Relationships, Law Student Sam Winchester, M/M, Married Couple, Mechanic Dean Winchester, Retirement, Returning Home, Reuniting Family, Runaway, Summer Vacation, Teacher Castiel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-25
Updated: 2014-07-26
Packaged: 2018-02-10 08:35:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2018256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProfoundlyInLove/pseuds/ProfoundlyInLove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Returning home after running away a decade ago, Dean Winchester and his husband Castiel Novak re-meet another portion of the ever growing Winchester/Singer/Novak family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: I'm Hoooome!

**Author's Note:**

> This won't be a massive one, but I'm excited!
> 
> EDIT: Bi weekly schedule.

Everyone was sixteen and stupid at one point. The difference is how you let your stupidity rule your life. Unfortunately, Dean let it overtake him. Stress had always been a problem for Dean, so much so that he got to a point where he did anything to get away from it. Including running away.

That was about ten years ago, the only thing that kept him from going back was shame. Not that his life went to utter crap or he went into a bad crowd. Quite the opposite. He found himself in the care of two amazing people by the names of Bobby Singer and Ellen Harvelle. Not married, but most definitely in love while they raised Ellen’s fifteen year old daughter Jo. He’d spent seven months effectively losing his identity by the time he’d found them, and he’d refused to go home. Not after that long, he’d convinced himself they wouldn’t want him back. Dean’s parents were great people, and they didn’t need a screw up of a son.

Along the way he’d gotten a GED and started working in Bobby’s garage. Things really changed when he was nineteen, when he met Castiel Novak.

Castiel was a local boy from a big dysfunctional family. They’d met in the hospitals ER on a Thursday night. Dean had broken his arm in a garage accident, while Castiel had gotten a concussion during a track meet at his university in town. They started officially dating within a few weeks, and married after Castiel graduated with a degree in Elementary Education which he put to hard use in the very same town. Around that time, Dean was reading the online newspaper for the town he’d grown up in when he found the article.

‘Local boy accepted to Stanford.’ Under it was the picture and name, Sam Winchester. Dean had dropped his laptop he’d been carrying with laundry when he saw it.

It took him four years to let Castiel convince him to use up some vacation time over the summer break, to go home. Three days into the four week trip, they still hadn’t gone to Dean’s family home. Personally, Dean was scared shitless. So many things could go wrong.

Day five is when they found themselves sitting on the sidewalk in front of the house. In the movies they say something cliche like ‘It looked exactly like he remembered’ But it didn’t. The house was repainted to the blue his mother had always wanted to paint it. There were roses planted in front of the living room window. Most of all there was a cross sticking up in the dirt that said the name ‘Dean Winchester’

“Winchester, huh?” Cas said as Dean was gathering his nerve, which effectively cracked his resolve into a big smile. He hadn’t heard that name in far too long.

“I mean, I like Singer and all, but man I miss hearing that name.” He said with his eyes tightly shut.

“I like Winchester. It suits you.” Castiel replied, squeezing Dean’s hand tightly, pulling him up to his feet.

“If I don’t do this now, I never will.” He sighed.

“I know.”

When Dean pressed the doorbell, he snapped his eyes shut once more. Not sure if it was from fear or excitement. His heart practically stopped beating when the door swung open.

“Hello, can I help you?” A woman said. Now that voice _was_ exactly like he remembered. Calling him down for dinner, telling him to clean his room, hell even chewing him out for getting detention. That’s the kind of voice that really brings you home.

Except Dean was frozen with his eyes squeezed shut. Fingers laced with his, he could feel Cas’ wedding ring cold against his skin. It was like a sudden boost of confidence.

“Sorry for coming unannounced,” Cas started when Dean said nothing. “Mrs. Winchester, correct?” She nodded, confused. “My name is Castiel Novak, this is my husband--” That was when Dean opened his eyes. Before Cas could finish another word, Mary gasped and wrapped her arms tightly around Dean’s neck, to hell with height differences.

“I could never forget those eyes.” She said firmly into his shoulders. Mary started to cry as Dean wrapped his arms around his mother’s small back. Behind Mary’s back stood Sam, a tiny blonde woman, and his father. All with the same shocked look on their face. It was easily minutes before they pulled away, his mother still crying in sheer joy.

She turned around to face the rest of their family, “John, Sam, Jess, this is Dean. God it’s our son.”

Dean and Castiel watched them crumple in on themselves. Jess held Sam tightly as his face was filled with every emotion possible. Shock, relief, anger, and finality. His father has dropped on his knees, thanking a God that he hadn't believed in while Dean was around.

  
It may be messy, when isn't family, but he doesn't regret coming home.


	2. I Need a Redo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to work out some issues

They sat on a couch across from his parents while Sam and Jess were in a loveseat to the right. Dean felt like the adrenaline had worn off, leaving him with terror and anxiety. So many things could go wrong, what if they don’t like him? Dean felt like a completely different person than his teenage self. He worked full time, was married-- to a man for christ sake, hell he had a whole other family four states over in Georgia.

When he was in high school, Dean had been simple. Dumb jock who chased after the pretty cheerleaders who happily melted like putty in his hand. Going out with fake ID’s and spending way too much time with his shitty friends. But now he was an entirely complicated adult. Though complicated didn’t mean unhappy. Just a different set of rules.

“What have you been doing..?” Sam asked quietly, the first thing to be said in a while. His fingers were laced with Jess’s, his knuckles were white and his smile tight and forced as if this was his least favorite chore. At least his signature bitch face wasn't present. _‘I wonder if he still does it’_

“Like with my life?” He asked carefully, earning himself a nod. Dean tried his best to look people in the eye but he found himself staring at walls that were covered in photos, and a lot of them were after he’d left. Actually he really didn't see any of him.

“Well, I’m a mechanic in Georgia, and I’m going to start teaching autoshop this year. Cas here is a kindergarten teacher, we got married four years ago in Bobby and Ellen’s back yard. Jo officiated, after getting certified on this website that I’m not entirely sure was legit. We’re in the process of adopting--” That caught everyone’s attention, especially his mothers, who gasped with the largest smile on her face.

“I’m going to have a grandbaby!” She said quietly to herself, practically about to burst. Her expressions were completely different from Sam’s. She was acting as if this were the best day of her life-- which Dean highly appreciated. It made him feel less like this were a burden on his family.

“How long have you been in Georgia?” John asked carefully, afraid of stepping on any toes that would run his son out the door. Considering his emotions currently, it was completely possible.

“Um,” Dean mumbled, trying to think. “About seven months after I left, so around seventeen.” He could see the hurt in their eyes.

“So you could stay in Georgia for all that time, but not here?” Sam snapped, standing up and walking out through the glass sliding door that lead to the backyard. Dean stood up just as fast and followed him out, shutting the door behind him. If he were honest, he kind of felt bad leaving Cas alone with his highly emotional parents right that second.

Sam was stomping off toward the large oak tree that had been there longer than Dean ever had. Right before he made it, Sam swung around which effectively stopped Dean in his tracks.

“You left, Dean. I thought my brother stopped loving me! Do you know what that does to a kid? You missed everything! My birthdays, Christmas, my high school graduation, college acceptance, college graduation, my marriage! Dean you missed it all and I don’t think you can fix that!” Sam shouted. It broke Dean in every way imaginable.

“Okay, Sam.” He said, his voice crumpled and defeated. “It was stupid to think I could. I’m so sorry.” He said before backtracking inside where he grabbed his husbands hand and started walking toward the door, wanting to get away as fast as possible. He could scream, cry, hit something, this was his worst nightmare.

“Bye Mom, Dad. Maybe another time, okay?” He said, his voice strained as he pulled Cas out the door before the begging started. Dean could hear his mother no matter how far he got. Her voice rang in his head all the way to their motel where Dean let himself fall apart. The tears started after the shaking, as he let himself go in his husbands arms.

They were staying in the motel that John would take the boys once a year because they loved running around the halls and playing hide and seek. The older they got, the less they wanted to go. The last time Dean went he was fifteen, while his father and brother continued to go as far as he knows.

Though the room gave him little comfort. All he wanted was the pale blue walls of his bedroom back home. They were covered in photos without frames that were mostly taken by strangers they found while traveling. They’d gone to Rome, Sweden, India, Bulgaria, the list goes on and on. But then there were some really awkward ‘selfie’ photos of the both of them. Especially from the time Cas was in college. Also there were birthdays, holidays, parties. Each photo is right next to another, creating a wall of memories that were irreplaceable.

“I’m so stupid. How could I ever think that they’d take me back.” Cas rubbed Dean’s back slowly, trying to comfort him in his time of need.

“Your parents certainly wanted you there, Dean. While you were Sam, they were thanking me over and over for taking care of their son. You heard them while you left, they were broken. I really think we should go back.” He said slowly, though there was no carefulness that his family possessed, the kind of carefulness he seriously hated.

He took in a steady breath before looking Castiel in the eye, which he probably should never do because he was practically hypnotising. Those eyes are what sucked him in when he’d first met him. He’d been pretty miserable with an ice pack to the side of his head while Dean sat with a hot pack next to Bobby-- which never bummed his game.

__

_“Well hey there. What happened to you, Blue eyes?” He asked the man that had just sat down. with a cocky smile on his face that everyone had told him makes anyones knees weak. Dean felt a small shove from Bobby who just huffed, though he could practically hear his eyes roll._

__

_“Track meet accident up at Paine. What about you?” He mumbled, voice deep and arousing, obviously in pain and out of it. But he was still mind blowingly gorgeous._

__

_“I’m a mechanic, a hood came down  and my arm got crushed.” Dean said, mad that the car had betrayed him._

__

_“Dean Singer!” A nurse called, wanting him to come into a ER room to get checked out. He’d been waiting for hours, but of course they want to ruin his game._

__

_“Well I guess this is goodbye, Blue eyes.” Dean smiled as he stood slowly while Bobby was already making his way to the nurse._

__

_“Goodbye Green eyes.” He smiled back before Dean made his way to the nurse._

__

_They X-rayed his arm before setting his broken arm, then wrapping it up with light blue cast material. As he made his way out of the hospital, he spotted Blue eyes still in the waiting room. Blue eyes spotted him and waved him over. Considering he was on some hefty pain killers, he wasn’t sure it was directed at him yet he stumbled over to the gorgeous man with a sharpie he’d lifted from his mother’s purse. He wrote on Dean’s cast with a smile,_

__

_‘555-7155 ~Castiel’_

__

_He grinned brightly, “Bye Cas”_

__

_“Bye Dean.”_

You could still see the long thin scar on his arm that went from the side of his wrist to his elbow. But they’d stitched it up at home because he really didn’t want to sit there bleeding everywhere for six hours on a horrible Thursday night. But Cas changed that night, he changed his life. Found his forever.

“Are you sure?” Cas didn’t say anything, he only nodded while pulling Dean up to his feet. They left the room without another word. As they walked the halls, Dean spotted something that made his heart swell. ‘DW SW’ He didn’t say anything about it, Dean and Sam had done that and swore to never say a word thinking that we wouldn’t get caught. Later they learned that it was so obvious that it hurt. But this is a promise he’s going to keep.

He knocked again but it opened even faster, with his father behind it. His facial hair was at least a couple days old, the kind that would definitely itch. And his eyes were puffy and red from crying. Quickly Mary came behind John, with a heavy sigh of relief. John came close, hugging his son so tightly that he was crushed. But Dean didn’t mind at all. Mary joined the hug, he felt secure and safe. Just like how he felt when he was sitting out in his backyard under the cherry tree, with Cas’ arm around the small of his back and head on his shoulder. Laughing and staring up at the sky through the branches.

The couple were invited inside, told they can explore and that make their selves at home. Dean gripped Cas’ hand loosely as he led him to his childhood bedroom. He was hoping that Castiel wouldn’t say anything about the pinup posters.

Inside the small room was a twin bed along with posters covering all the walls. His guitar sat untouched in the corner next to his keyboard and the laptop he used for music recording and way too many tumblr tabs. Infact, everything in the room was untouched except that the bed was definitely disturbed, most likely slept in and re-made although Dean never made his bed.

Dean sat down on the bed, laying back to look up at the ceiling, his feet reached over the edge of the small bed. There were more posters, including one that Sam did for the science fair. Sam had begged Dean to hang it up, and he rarely said no to Sam.

The door opened slowly, it was John. “We barely touched any of it. Sam and your Mom would sleep in the bed when they missed you. Even after Sam couldn’t fit on the bed anymore. And your brother borrowed those books you loved so much. Hell he still has them, he reads them all the time. He doesn’t hate you, he just… He doesn’t know how to deal with this. The police told us that you were most likely dead since all traces of you disappeared after a few months.”

Dean took in a deep breath as he sat up to face John. His face was unreadable. “That’s because I have a new name, hell new everything. It’s Singer legally. They took great care of me. They’re family, so if you think about it you’ve got a daughter in law, I think. And the adoption, it’s a girl. Her name is Claire. She’s three, and perfect.” Dean said lightly, glancing at Cas who was grinning at the thought of their beautiful soon to be daughter.

John smiled brightly at the thought of his granddaughter. “I have a picture,” Cas said while fishing out his cellphone that they’d just got due to boating incident. The picture was of their daughter, with her light blonde hair and gorgeous hazel-green eyes. She was playing in a playhouse out in the sun, perfectly happy.

“I can’t wait to meet her.” John said, his voice cracking.

“We should have her before the end of the summer, I’m sure if you wanted to come visit…” Cas said, looking to Dean to make sure it was all okay, he nodded.

“Absolutely. Call us immediately.” John said excitedly. Dean smiled himself.

When John left the room, both of the men looked at each other smiling. Dean was simply glad things were going better this round, while Cas was proud of Dean pushing through the problem. As they were leaving the room, they ran into Jess who smiled lightly.

“Hey, I’m Jess. While I practically know Dean, I don’t know you.” She smiled, shaking both of their hands.

“My name is Castiel.” He said politely.

“Hey Jess. Just so you know I’m extremely different from teenage me..” Dean said nervously, tilting his head to the side.

“Well I’ll just have to get to know you better then. I actually have to help Mary with dinner, so we can talk later.” Jess smiled before walking off in her white lace dress. She was gorgeous with her curly blonde hair and tan skin.

“She’s totally out of his league.” Dean chuckled before he heard a huff behind him which frightened him a bit.

“Well he’s completely out of your league.” Sam said with a sarcastic shrug. Cas squeezed Dean’s shoulder and told him that he’ll go help Mary as well. He walked down the hall, light on his feet. Though he stopped for a moment to stare at a picture. He knew exactly which one he was looking at. It was the only picture of him he’d seen in the house. He’d been holding a baseball trophy from sophomore year, smiling like a maniac. Dean had gotten an unassisted double play which won them the last game of the final tournament. On the frame is simply said Always Loving, Always Loved.

“Yeah he is,” Dean laughed, mostly trying to lighten the mood. “I’m just lucky.”

“I didn’t even know you were gay, Dean.” Sam said, hurt.

“I’m not, dumbass. People can bat for both teams.” Dean said while rolling his eyes, even though he smiled the whole time. Sam made a ‘huh’ noise before looking off at a wall for a moment, deep in thought.

“I’m sorry for what I did, you know. It wasn’t like I never looked back. I did every day. But I didn’t think you’d want your fuck up brother back.” Dean said carefully, afraid his brother would explode once more.

“I never thought that. Ever. I was just.. I don’t know actually.” Sam said with a desperate shrug.

“I understand,” Dean said carefully.

“So tell me about all this. Teaching and a kid? I could never have imagine that when you were sixteen. But now you’re so..”

“Different.” Dean smiled.

 **  
**“Yeah, different.”


End file.
